


Bad Dreams

by betaBird



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-13 10:40:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28902027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/betaBird/pseuds/betaBird
Summary: Jay happens to find himself one night frightened by the images created in his mind. Knowing there's someone in the monastery that can help, he seeks them out... but why is he feeling and acting so different around them this time?
Relationships: Jay Walker/Zane
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	Bad Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> Hellooooo~!  
> Once again, very sorry for the delay. It's been a busy, erhm... long time. Not sure when I'll post next, hopefully soon. I have a few ideas on the backburner that I wanna get out.  
> Anyway, here's one for all you Techno shippers out there! I know there's at least a few of you out there who are absolutely starved for content. Thus... *dun dun du-dunnn!* some more words on a screen to keep your minds busy!  
> Happy reading! <3

A shiver went down his spine. Jay laid there in his room, motionless one moment, tossing and turning the next, then still once again. His thoughts blew in and out of his skull like a tornado ripping and roaring through a burning meadow filled with the dead plants of his fears. Perfect kindling for a nightmare. They say dreams only last a few seconds in real-time. But here, it was clear that those few seconds felt like hours, no, _days_ to the poor master of lightning.  
Jay awoke in a flash, gasping for air and looking around to try and recognize where he was in this carnival of horrors. But, to his surprise and relief, he was back in his bedroom , staring at his walls, safe and sound.  
Or... was he...?  
The darkness creeping its way out of his closet made him even more uneasy. The tapping of a thin branch on his window from the breeze outside-- which also whistled through the cracks of his windowsill-- infested his ears and would've given him a headache if his head wasn't preoccupied with pounding already from the intense stress. And worst of all, any slight movement in the foundation of the monastery made Jay jump and flinch, a few times even stirring him enough to spark a current coming from his fingertips. He clutched onto his covers, trying to catch his breath.  
"It was only a dream, Jay... it's gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay."  
Words were useless. No matter what he told himself, words were no match for the dryness in his throat, and the feeling of having swallowed an ice cube.  
Ice... _ice!_  
That's it! Jay remembered one time about how Lloyd consistently had nightmares. Whenever he did, he'd go to Zane for help. Granted, his own bad dream didn't arise from horrific trauma or anything. In comparison to whatever Lloyd must feel, his seemed arbitrary at best. But it was worth a shot.  
Jay checked the alarm clock on his bedside table. _2:34 a.m._ Well... that plan was a bust.  
Or... maybe it wasn't?  
Jay knew they didn't have to get up super early the next morning, and that Zane needed far less sleep than anyone else. He would've absolutely gone for anyone else at the time, but anyone who wasn't asleep was probably high and/or drunk out of their minds (Kai). So, he didn't really have much of a choice. And he knew well that he couldn't go back to sleep like this, so he bit the bullet and got up out of bed, walking out of his room nervously, taking each step with finesse as to not disturb anyone else. A great task, but definitely one that lay among his paygrade.

Each door he passed he held his breath around. Even those which he knew held no one, he didn't dare to make noise, lest he wake up some sort of sleeping critter that would dart around, screeching or squeaking and making all sorts of horrific noises. His care and grace finally paid off, though, as he made his slow approach on Zane's door. But just as he was about to softly knock, he stepped back a bit.  
 _Do I really wanna do this?_  
He thought that coming all this way would eventually quell his fears and let him just get it out of the way, but his hesitation also came as no shock to him. After all, he was just about to wake up someone at half-past-2 in the morning, for something that would probably get ignored regardless. He let out a slow breath of air, scrunching his eyelids shut as he debated it to himself. _Do I really wanna do this? Is any of this actually worth it? No... it's worth it... Maybe? Maybe I'll come here in the morning._  
He shook himself out of it, biting his inner lip. There wouldn't be any "waiting until the morning", unless he wanted to risk falling asleep again and having to replay this same thing over and over. He stood right outside the doorway, arms crossed, trying to grapple with what the right move would be.  
Until he heard a quiet voice from the other side of the door. "It's open."  
Jay pulled back, covering his mouth with his hand.  
 _Shoot... was I thinking out loud?_  
He gulped, tiptoeing closer and closer to the door. He turned the doorknob ever so slowly, pushing open the door as silently as he could, trying his best to silence the small creaks and cracks the door made with his mind. He opened the door just enough to see the faint hum of cyan light reflecting off the walls, holding his breath even more as he slowly accepted himself as the reason for Zane being awake. He poked his head in through the small crack of the door, seeing a dimly lit room filled only with the soft glow of a nightlight from the corner and the light from the nindroid's own eyes. He could already feel himself relax a bit, but he kept on his toes as he waited for another go-ahead for permission to enter. Zane quietly motioned him in, and Jay complied, shutting the door behind him. He looked at the floor and sighed, embarrassed that he was even here to begin with.  
"What's going on, Jay?"  
Jay froze in place. His hands quivered, one still placed gently on the door behind him. But he knew that now that he was here, there was no going back. He allowed his tense muscles to relax under the calming gaze of the ninja on the opposite end of the room, and moved forward with each step very wary and deliberate.  
"H-Hey..." Jay's motormouth suddenly found itself malfunctioning. "I just-- ah, it's stupid anyway, but..." His leg bounced in place as he fiddled with his hands, trying to put words to his thoughts. He worried that his nervousness would seem like obnoxious stalling, but brief glances up showed him that Zane was sitting perfectly still, listening to every word he was saying. It relieved him to know that he wasn't being a bother, but a little part of him deep down inside still felt the pressure of being watched and listened to. He wasn't sure why.  
"Ah..." He'd completely forgotten he was supposed to be talking. "Uhm, w-well, here's the thing. I know I'm not usually up this late..." He glanced over at the LED alarm clock on Zane's dresser. Realizing that it was almost 3 already and desperate to pick up the pace, he hastened his thoughts artificially and scrambled to get rid of his filter to make things hurry along. "Oh! Um, oops, I-I, oh, shoot... I-I was just-- I heard something in my room, and I--"  
"You want to stay here with me?"  
Jay was stunned to silence at his bluntness. _Does he ever get nervous?_  
"...Yeah... I know it's a bit of short notice, but-"  
Zane had already made room for Jay and was motioning him closer.  
Jay bit his tongue, moving forward.   
"The accomodations aren't exactly... roomy. But I hope this suffices for now."  
"Thanks." Jay started to feel a little embarrassed that he even needed this. Now that he was here, he felt awkward. But he didn't get any of the same vibes from Zane. It all felt normal to him.  
 _Thank goodness he doesn't have that sort of weird feeling._  
Jay sat on the edge of the bed. It was more than big enough for them both, but to Jay, it still felt like a small place. He realized the implications of staying here the night, and it almost scared him off all over again.  
"Um, Zane..."  
"Hm?"  
"A-Are you sure about all this..?"  
Zane paused briefly.  
"If I'm being honest with you, there's only one thing I'm not sure about."  
"Oh..."  
Zane shook his head. "Don't misunderstand, it's nothing of your fault. I just get the feeling that what you told me wasn't the truth."  
Jay looked down. "Huh...?"  
"That's not the real reason you're here, is it? I highly doubt that someone as brave as you would be frightened by a bump in the night."  
"Hahah, 'brave'. You're funny."  
Zane chuckled. "You're not giving yourself enough credit. But that's not the point." Jay felt a hand on his shoulder. He expected it to be freezing cold, but it was actually rather warm. "You're not here because of that, are you?"  
Jay went silent for a while. He felt his eyes well up, biting the inside of his mouth to keep the tears from coming out. He thought long and hard about his next words, wanting to try and excuse it away at first, but closing his eyes, he figured that lying to a human lie detector wasn't worth it.  
Finally, he spoke. "N-No, but... well, sort of..? It's not... the _whole_ truth. Oh, how do I put this..?" He stalled his words again. "I... Last night was hard for me. I didn't, uhm... I didn't have very restful sleep, that's all. And... I noticed that you usually help Lloyd in situations like this... I know my problems are like, MILES less bad than his." Jay giggled half-heartedly. "But... I just need to know..." He sighed, realizing that he'd subconsciously curled himself into a ball. "I need to know you guys are okay."  
Jay, having squeezed his eyelids shut the whole time, finally cracked them open to look back at Zane. He could tell he understood what Jay was asking for. Comfort. Knowing that what he saw in his nightmare wasn't real. He needed his sense of reality set back into place. He wasn't normally the type to get reoccurring nightmares, so when he did get one, it crushed him. Now was no different.  
Zane put his arm fully around Jay. Jay collapsed into tears and held onto Zane as tight as he could. The embrace was returned instantly.  
Under the warmth of Zane's heated surface, Jay was comfortable enough to describe what happened. He closed his eyes, describing in detail exactly how he'd dropped the ball on a mission, endangering the lives of people he considered family. The way they fell down... the way they screamed... it was harrowing then, and it continued to haunt him and echo in the recesses of his mind sitting there next to the android. Those who remained and stood next to him yelled and shouted, too, but they were of anger rather than anguish. And finally, he fell down with those he indirectly caused to be lost, and then... he woke up. That was it.  
Describing it out loud made him feel even more stupid. Every time he paused to stop himself from talking about it, he felt a little rub on his back that kept him going and let him know that he was being listened to. But now, he appreciated the fact that he was being listened to. He relished in it, in fact. Here, he felt safe. He finally understood why Lloyd came to Zane so often.  
After he was done, Jay let go of Zane, but only for a second. Much like getting out of a warm shower into the cold air of the rest of the home, he immediately wanted to go back inside. So, he did. His shame had completely melted away.  
Here, he felt happy.  
Jay's hug, which was much more affectionate rather than seeking said affection, was returned as well. Jay felt his face get a little warm as he nestled into it, but he felt a yawn coming on.  
"Thanks.. I know I'm not usually like this. I pinky promise you that I'm not gonna come back here! Er... I'll try not to, hahah!"  
Zane smiled sweetly. "I'm happy to see you're back to feeling yourself. Is there anything else you need from me?"  
Jay's grin waned a bit, but didn't quite fade. "I'm good."  
Zane stared at him with a gentle intensity, one that ripped at his heartstrings and made him want to tell the truth.  
"Okay, fine. I'm nervous to go to sleep again. Usually, when this happens, once I go back to sleep, I just get it again."  
"Then I'll wake you if I detect high levels of activity."  
"Huh?"  
Zane readjusted to halfway lay down. "You said you wished to stay here, didn't you?"  
Jay stammered at the question. "O-Oh! U-Uh, yeah, but, uh... u-uh... a-are you... i-i-it was just an excuse!"  
Zane giggled. "Your attempts to cover for yourself are as funny as they are ineffective."  
Jay's face went flushed. "W-Well... I just d-don't wanna intrude. I know how late it is..."  
Zane glanced up at the clock. "I think a more accurate term would be 'early'."  
"Y-Yeah. Exactly. I don't wanna intrude."  
Zane raised an eyebrow. "I didn't realize you coming into a room in a monastery you live in was considered intruding."  
"I-It's..! N-No! It's your room, Zane."  
"Then I should be the final say in if you get to stay here, shouldn't I?" He laid down fully. "And my final say is that you're absolutely welcome to stay as long as you need to. That is, if you'd like."  
Jay couldn't argue any further with that. He went as quiet as a mouse, pulling a blanket over himself timidly.  
 _Why am I not saying words?! I should be able to speak things!!! Words, where are you?!?!_  
Lost in thought, the sounds around him began to infiltrate his ears. The rustling of bedsheets and covers as he laid down-- he couldn't feel any wires or charging cables underneath him, and the mattress itself was rather comfortable albeit a bit firm. The low, gentle hum of Zane's motors and servos acted as white noise that lulled him to relaxation. The wind outside slowly transitioned to a light drizzle, then to rain, then a downpour. The way each droplet hit the window and the exterior walls also comforted him. He was grateful for Zane's offer, but couldn't stop thinking about it.  
 _You're absolutely welcome to stay as long as you need to._  
Usually, a lot of his words felt cold and calculated. They felt planned, almost strategized to be the perfect response. As a consequence of this, everything he said would seem far too mechanical to anyone who wasn't used to him. But those words... there was something warm and welcoming about them. Something that screamed, _"Hey! I'm here, and I want you here with me!"_. It was endearing. He couldn't stop replaying it in his head, smiling and curling up under the blankets every time he thought of it. He felt his face get even warmer. His heart started to flutter a bit. He barely even noticed himself getting progressively closer to Zane, nor was it pointed out to him.  
Before he knew it, Jay was practically laying on him.  
Realizing the situation, he backed off a bit, but still curled up right next to Zane. He didn't seem to mind, actually, quite the contrary. He moved to his side and put his arm around Jay. That made him giggle softly and move in even closer.  
Then, Jay's brain turned on.

_Wait... why am I this close to him?_  
 _Gosh, what's happening to me?!_  
 _Why do I feel so warm?_  
 _No... please don't tell me that I..._  
"Gosh dangit."  
"What was that?" the soft voice next to him asked.  
"...Oh, nothing. Goodnight!"


End file.
